Magellanic penguin
noun
: a penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) of the southern tip of South America and surrounding islands that has a pink mark above the eyes and two broad black bands on the neck and upper chest
Examples of Magellanic penguin in a Sentence
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The large populations are clustered around colonies of Magellanic penguins that live on the coast for six months out of the year -- from about September to March, Emiliano Donadio, an ecologist and science director of Rewild Argentina, a conservation nonprofit, told ABC News.
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Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 17 Dec. 2025
But 10 days into our Patagonian adventure, a little water—okay, a lot of water—wasn’t enough to deter us from heading out on a Zodiac tour around the Tucker Islets, a small cluster of islands and outcrops in the Strait of Magellan inhabited primarily by Magellanic penguins.
—Stefanie Waldek, AFAR Media, 12 Sep. 2025
Magellanic Penguin While Antarctica might be the world’s foremost destination for penguin-watching, Chile serves as an ideal alternative thanks to its high concentration of Magellanic penguins, a species that thrives along the shores of Patagonia.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Giant petrels and imperial cormorants come to nest, and sea lions and Magellanic penguins congregate.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 7 May 2025
By 2007, a family of pumas likely killed thousands of Magellanic penguins (MP), over the course of several nesting seasons along the wild coastline of Argentine Patagonia.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Most Magellanic penguin nest colonies on South America’s mainland are relatively new—especially the really large ones such as those at Punta Tombo and Península Valdés in Argentina.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2025
With wide beaches at the shore and scrublands inland, the largest colony of Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) are found here—there are around 400,000 breeding adults.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024
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Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 17 Dec. 2025
But 10 days into our Patagonian adventure, a little water—okay, a lot of water—wasn’t enough to deter us from heading out on a Zodiac tour around the Tucker Islets, a small cluster of islands and outcrops in the Strait of Magellan inhabited primarily by Magellanic penguins.
—Stefanie Waldek, AFAR Media, 12 Sep. 2025
Magellanic Penguin While Antarctica might be the world’s foremost destination for penguin-watching, Chile serves as an ideal alternative thanks to its high concentration of Magellanic penguins, a species that thrives along the shores of Patagonia.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Giant petrels and imperial cormorants come to nest, and sea lions and Magellanic penguins congregate.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 7 May 2025
By 2007, a family of pumas likely killed thousands of Magellanic penguins (MP), over the course of several nesting seasons along the wild coastline of Argentine Patagonia.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Most Magellanic penguin nest colonies on South America’s mainland are relatively new—especially the really large ones such as those at Punta Tombo and Península Valdés in Argentina.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2025
With wide beaches at the shore and scrublands inland, the largest colony of Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) are found here—there are around 400,000 breeding adults.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Magellanic penguin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Magellanic%20penguin. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
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